The camp is named after Captain Thomas W. Patton. Patton was the Captain of Co. C of the 60th North Carolina infantry. North Carolina was the last state to join the Confederacy in 1861. Thomas and his brothers joined the 1st N.C. troops as part of the Buncombe Rifles to protect against the invading Yankees. The first battle came at Great Bethel, Virginia, June 10, 1861. Yankees were surprised by the strength of the Confederate troops and were repulsed. The Buncombe Rifles took prisoners, the first in the war. They were not however, credited with taking the first prisoners by force. Other prisoners were given over to leading commanders and they got the credit. After 6 months the boys were disbanded they were put into units. 1st N.C. , 11th N.C., and the 60th N.C. Thomas, largely at his own expense, raised a company and was elected 1st Lieutenant. In a few months he rose through the ranks to become a Captain of Co. C of the 60th N.C. After General Lee surrendered, the Southern Generals also gave way to the obvious surrender. General Joseph E. Johnson was one of the last to surrender at Greensboro, N.C. in April 1865. The 60th was in his command. Thomas and his faithful slave, Sam Cope, decided not to surrender . Instead after the last battle of Bentonville they decided to walk home to Asheville. On their way they were stopped by a Yankee patrol. They were allowed to go on but without the assistance of their only horse.

As years passed Thomas became involved in the business of Asheville. At on time he was was honored by his fellow citizens, having been elected alderman, tax collector, county commissioner, tax commission member, member of the State Board of Charities and Corrections and Board of Examiners of Institutions. He was secretary-treasurer of the first water, gas, electric light and street railway companies of Asheville. He was at one time superintendent of the Street Railway Co. and director of several banks. In 1893 he ran as an independent candidate for the mayor of Asheville and won serving for two terms. He then enlisted with the United States Army as the 1st N.C. Infantry in 1898 under the Stars and Stripes in the Spanish-American war. He wanted to help the young men of the town that had enlisted to feel at ease with him there. He was later promoted and returned to Asheville after the war. Captain Patton lived a rich and honorable life. He was always there to help the boys that he fought with along with the families of those that never made it home. He is remembered by his family as a strong, loving person that never gave in to the pressures of the government or society. he died Nov. 6, 1907 and is buried in Asheville, N.C. It was said of him that, "he chose to live beside the road that he might help his fellow man."

Captain Thomas W. Patton Camp 2021 was officially chartered June 12th, 2003. Of the first seven members six are relatives of Captain Patton. The camp is a memorial to this great patriot of the South. He has shown all of us in the camp how a true patriot is loyal to the cause. The cause of family, home, state and country. He never claimed to be a secessionist but truly a defender of what was right and just. The treatment of his fellow man was a priority in his life. As long as the camp continues his name will be a solid reminder as to the true Southern man that we all want to be.

The camp has so far been very active in recruiting. We have been a camp of true Southern education to all that we come in contact with. The events that we have been involved with are as follows:

* 2nd Place in the St. Patrick's Day Parade

* Canfield Fair Recruiting Week over Labor Day week-end

* The CSS Hunley Funeral March

* Grave dedications

* Funerals for reenactors

* School Programs

* Kiwanis Club Events

* Samaritan Purse Christmas Gifts for Children

* Grave Marker Dedication

* Reenactments

* Fund Raisers

* Johnson's Island Supporters

* John Hunt Morgan's Monument caretakers

We are proud to say that there are first person impressions of General Robert E. Lee, General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the camp. The 7th Tenn. Cavalry along with the 4th Alabama Infantry are also in the camp. Members of the Army of Northern Virginia Artillery are members. We are currently taking applications and have a historian on staff that will find the Confederate relative for the applicant.

We also have "The Southern Magnolia Ladies Society" and "The Lady Tarheels" that are auxiliary groups of the camp. The ladies are not required to have Confederate Heritage, only a heart for the Confederacy and her people.